Influence of frequency of walking in health of individuals with chronic diseases

Abstract

Introduction: The influence of frequency of walking on the health of participants in intervention programs is still little studied. Objective: To evaluate the effects of frequency of walking on total cholesterol (TC), glucose and waist circumference (WC) in participants of a university extension project. Methods: Twenty-five participants of the project were evaluated during nine months of intervention in 2011. The subjects were divided into two groups according to their frequency in the walking (<50% and ≥50%). The walking was performed three times a week. The TC, glucose and WC pre and post-intervention were evaluated. The paired t-test was used (p≤0.05). Results: Glucose and WC (p≤0.05) decreased in both groups. TC decreased only for G≥50% (p=0.001). Conclusion: The extension project was effective to decrease glucose and WC, regardless of frequency of walking, and to reduce TC in individuals with frequency ≥50%.